Dispensing carton



United States Patent [72] Inventor [21 Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented [73] Assignee Joseph E. Wankow Somerville, NJ.

June 18, 1968 Dec. 22, 1970 Union Carbide Corporation a corporation of New York [54] DISPENSING CARTON 10 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl. 225/25, 225/48 [51 B26f 3/02 [50] Field of Search 225/25, 26, 49, 48, 50, 53, 90; 206/52, 58

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,972,851 9/1934 McCarthy 225/24X 2,888,181 5/1959 Lincoln et a1 225/48UX 3,028,060 4/1962 Haley 225/53 3,114,488 12/1963 Mounts 225/48X FOREIGN PATENTS 158,308 8/1954 Australia 225/25 Primary Examiner-Frank T. Yost AttorneysPaul A. Rose, John F, Hohmann and John R.

Doherty ABSTRACT: An improved dispensing carton is provided for dispensing household wrapping materials. The improvement involves positioning on the carton, means which will detachably adhere the leading edge of the wrapping material to the carton during the procedure of severing a sheet of wrapping material from the supply roll. This adherence of the leading edge of the wrapping material to the carton facilitates tearing, prevents the leading edge from withdrawing into the carton, and prevents the leading edge from being wrinkled or tom.

PATENTED niczzlsm 3549,0663

INVENTOR JOSEPH E. W KOW BY I ATTORNEY DISPENSING CARTON This invention relates to an improvement in a dispensing carton and more particularly to an improvement in a carton for dispensing household wrapping material such as polymeric film.

It has heretofore been known to dispense household wrapping materials from dispensing cartons which are designed to store the supply roll of wrapping material when not in use, allow easy removal of wrapping material through an opening provided in the carton, and permit easy tearing of the wrapping material along a cutting edge in association with the carton.

Early designs of these canons placed the cutting edge along the aperture from which the wrapping material was withdrawn from the carton. It was soon found, however, that this procedure was not satisfactory since the leading edge of the wrapping material would retract into the carton after a sheet of material had. been withdrawn and severed along the cutting edge. When one desired to withdraw additional wrapping material, it was necessary to open the carton and to locate the leading edge of the wrap before easy operation of the carton would be restored. This procedure became increasingly more troublesome when used in conjunction with wrapping materials from polymeric film since many of these films display cling characteristics and, upon retraction into the carton, the lead-- ing edge may cling to the supply roll making location of the leading edge and separation thereof from the roll quite dif ficult.

Cling" as used herein is that property of a polymeric film either imparted thereto by suitable additives or occurring naturally therein which enables the film to stick or cling to itself or to other smooth surfaces. Naturally occurring cling may be either of two types. The first, sometimes called autocling, is caused by the ability of the film to form intimate contact with smooth surfaces. This type of cling is very similar to that imparted by the addition of cling modifiers. The second type of naturally occurring cling is that created by the tendency of the film to pick up a static charge. This type of cling is greatly dependent upon atmospheric conditions and is usually not as reliable as the other types of cling. For example, a polyethylene film exhibiting only static cling may cling well in cool dry weather but will have little cling in moist warm weather.

In an attempt to remedy the deficiencies in the dispensing carton described above, the cutting edge has commonly been positioned at a point removed from the aperture of the carton, for example, at the corner adjacent to the aperture of the carton. In this manner, after a sheet of the wrapping material is withdrawn and severed on the cutting edge, a length of the leading edge of the roll is exposed on the exterior of the carton and is ready to be grasped when it is next desired to withdraw a sheet of the wrapping material. It has been found, however, that even when the leading edge of the roll is so exposed, there is a tendency of the leading edge to retract into the carton after repeated handling. In addition, the leading edge, which is exposed from the carton, is free to wrinkle or fold upon itself in a manner which is undesirable from an appearance standpoint and which is bothersome when the sheet material possesses cling characteristics and does not readily return to the form of a straight leading edge. It has also been found, in use of the cartons described above, that the supply roll is not positively held during the severing operation and that, unless the tearing operation is done properly each time, the wrapping material will slide across the cutter bar during tearing thereby making tearing of the wrap more difficult.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing package for sheet material which will prevent the leading edge of the sheet material from retracting into the carton.

It is a further object to provide a dispensing package for sheet material which will retain the leading edge of the sheet material in a positionsuch that it can be easily grasped when it is desired to withdraw additional material.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a dispensing package wherein the leading edge of the sheet material is prevented from wrinkling or tearing due to its protrusion from the dispensing package.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a dispensing package for sheet material which will facilitate the tearing of the sheet material on a cutterbar positioned in association with the package.

These and other objects are accomplished by providing a dispensing carton for a roll of sheet material which carton has a container having an elongated aperture along its periphery for withdrawing sheet material from a supply roll positioned within the container, cutting means in association with the container, and means positioned on the container proximate to the cutting means for detachably adhering the sheet material thereto.

One embodiment of the invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a dispensing carton in accordance with the present invention showing the carton lid open and the manner in which the wrapping material is dispensed; and

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing the carton and wrapping material of FIG. 1 after a sheet of wrapping material has been torn on the cutting edge of the carton.

Referring in more detail to the drawings there is shown an embodiment of the invention wherein the wrapping material is a polymeric film exhibiting cling properties.

The drawings show a dispensing carton generally designated 10 having a cover 12, a rear wall 14, a bottom 16, a front wall 18, and sides 20, 22.

The front wall 18 and rear wall 14 are connected to the front and rear edges, respectively, of the bottom'l6, and are joined at the ends by sides 20, 22. The cover 12 is hingedly connected to the rear wall 14 in a manner such that, when the cover 12 is opened (FIG. 1), a roll 24 of polymeric film can be positioned within the carton l0, and, when the cover 12 is closed (FIG. 2), an aperture is formed between the cover 12 and the front wall 18, permitting easy withdrawal of a sheet 26 of polymeric film. A cutter bar 28, preferably a saw-toothed metal strip, is located at the lower edge of the front wall 18 to permit easy severance of the sheet 26 of polymeric film after the desired length has been withdrawn from the carton 10. Clear vinyl spots 30, which embody the improvement of the present invention, are positioned on the front wall 18 proximate to the cutter bar 28. These spots are made from a vinyl resin and possess cling characteristics by virtue of their smooth surface and the addition of a cling additive to the resin. A tear strip (not shown) may be provided on the leading edge of the cover 12 in a manner such that it extends over the front wall 18 of the carton and covers the cutting edge of the cutter bar 28. The usual functions of the tear strip are to seal the carton, to mask the sharp edges of the cutter bar and to provide an easy means of opening the carton. When used in conjunction with the vinyl spots 30, the tear strip serves the additional function of covering and protecting the spots during shipping and handling prior to using the polymeric film.

When it is desired to withdraw a portion of the polymeric film, it is necessary merely to pull the tear strip to open the carton, grasp the leading edge of sheet 26 and withdraw the desired length through the aperture. The film is then torn against the cutter bar 28 in the manner commonly used in dispensing cartons of this type. When the sheet 26 is pulled across the cutter bar 28 to effect cutting, the new leading edge 32 (FIG. 2) of the polymeric film, which covers the front wall 18 of the carton, is brought into contact with the front wall and with the vinyl spots 30. The spots exhibit cling characteristics and will automatically cause the polymeric film to cling upon contact. The new leading edge 32 is thereby held securely against the vinyl spots 30 during and after the cutting operation. This adhesion prevents additional polymeric film from being accidentally unrolled during the cutting operation and holds the edge of the sheet securely thereby facilitating tearing. In addition, after the cutting operation, the leading edge is held against the spots and is restrained from retracting into the canon, from folding upon itself, wrinkling, or sustainskilled in the art that the same inventive concept will be applicable to other household dispensing cartons, for example, those used for waxed paper, aluminum foil, etc. In these instances, since the wrap material does not have cling characing other damage. 5 teristics, it is necessary to attach a tacky" rather than a When it is desired to withdraw an additional sheet of cling material to the front face of the carton. This can easily polymeric film, it is necessary merely to grasp the leading edge be accomplished by attaching any of the well known adhesives at the area between the vinyl spots, where the edge is not held to the front face of the carton either in the form of a doubleto the carton, and to apply a slight force to overcome the cling faced t p 1' as n h i forming liquid applied in the same tendency of the spots. In this manner, the new leading edge is manner as the yl l q rfreed from the vinyl spots and can be grasped to withdraw the Th following table lists various spot materials and desired length of polymeric film. This procedure can be red i s t mann in h h hey an be used with peated continually until the supply roll of polymeric film is exi p nsing ns for the C m n h us h ld wrapping hausted. materials.

TABLE I Manner of application of spot Wrapping materinl Spot material material Polymeric film exhibiting cling characteristics Waxed paper aluminum foil, coated freezer paper, polymeric film exhibiting no Pressure sensitive adhesive cling characteristics.

Vinyl chloride, copolymers of vinyl Dissolve in methyl ethyl acetate, with or without the adketone and print on front on front wall of carton. Semi-rigid vinyl film, polyethylene Adhesively secured to carton.

film, plasticized vinyl film. Mild pressure sensitive adhesive Dissolve in suitable solvent and print on front wall of carton or apply as a doublefatigd tape.

The term vinyl" as used herein and in the claims refers to vinyl chloride and copolymers of vinyl chloride. The particular vinyl spots described above and shown in the drawings consist of spots of a copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate modified to display cling characteristics by the incorporation of a plasticizer and a monoglyceride of a fat-forming fatty acid. Spots of this type can be used with many polymeric films and all polymeric films of the type used for household wrapping materials will cling to these spots. In fact, any lacquer coating which displays cling characteristics or which can be modified to incorporate a cling additive can be used with all polymeric films of the type used for household wrapping materials.

However, the majority of the polymeric films used for household wrapping material today exhibit cling characteristics themselves. When applying the teachings of the present invention to such films, the spot material need not have imparted cling characteristics. It is necessary only that the spots be formed of a material to which the cling film will adhere. Such materials are well known in the art and typically comprise any materials which will yield a smooth glossy surface, for example, alkyd coatings, phenolic varnishes, epoxy coatings, acrylic coatings and shellac.

Each of the materials described above can be applied to the carton merely by dissolving the material in an appropriate solvent and printing or painting same on the carton in any convenient configuration, e.g., dots, lines, etc.

In addition, the spots can be applied in the form of preformed dots or strips which are adhesively secured to the carton. For example, strips of high gloss semirigid vinyl, plasticized vinyl or polyethylene can be applied with a doublefaced tape and will function-4n the same manner as the lacquers described above.

Any material which will cling to the particular polymeric film which is being used can be attached to the front face of the carton to obtain the desired result. Likewise, while the invention has been described with reference to the use of a dispensing carton for polymeric film it will be obvious to those The spot materials and methods or application in table l are merely exemplary and substitutions will be obvious to those skilled in the an.

The practice of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail in the following examples which are set forth as being illustrative of the manner in which the invention can be practiced and are not intended, in any way, to be limitative thereof.

EXAMPLE I A solution was prepared by dissolving 25.0 parts of a resin consisting of approximately 86 percent vinyl chloride and 14 percent vinyl acetate with 7.5 parts dioctyl phthalate in 67.5 parts methyl ethyl ketone. A No. 3 Osborn artist paint brush was dipped in the solution, the excess was allowed to drain, and a spot approximately X 34" was painted at three spaced points on the front wall of a carton of the type described above and shown in the drawings. The solvent was allowed to evaporate and a second coat was applied to bring the final thickness of the coating to between 2 and 10 mils.

After the second coat dried, a roll of one-half mil polyethylene film cling-modified by the addition of a monoglyceride of a fat-forming fatty acid was positioned in the carton in the manner shown in the drawings and sheets of the film were withdrawn and severed on the cutting bar in the manner commonly employed with dispensing cartons of this type. As each sheet was severed, the new leading edge was held securely to the vinyl spots and the spots functioned satisfactorily until the roll of film was exhausted.

EXAMPLE ll The procedure of example I was followed using a roll of one-half mil polyethylene film possessing static cling characteristics. The spots functioned satisfactorily until the roll was exhausted.

EXAMPLE Ill EXAMPLE IV Three W X l"tabs of extruded high gloss vinyl film were secured by a double-faced tape at spaced intervals proximate to the cutter bar of a dispensing carton of the type shown in the drawings. Sheets of one-half mil polyethylene film displaying autocling but containing no cling-modifiers were dispensed from the carton in the usual manner. The tabs held the leading edge of the film securely after each sheet was torn and continued to function satisfactorily until the supply roll was exhausted.

The dispensing cartons described above are of the type commonly used for dispensing sheet material in the home. Many modifications of the basic carton design have been made to accommodate larger supply rolls, e.g. 1,000 feet, for institutional use. The teachings of the present invention are equally applicable to these institutional cartons since such cartons are subject, to a greater or lesser degree depending on the particular design employed, to the difficulties associated with the use of household dispensing cartons.

Likewise, while this invention has been described with reference to many specific details thereof, it is not intended that the invention should be limited to such details.

lclaim:

l. A dispensing carton for a roll of sheet material comprising a container having a bottom, front, rear and end walls, a cover hingedly connected to the rear wall forming an elongated aperture between the cover and the front wall for withdrawing sheet material from a supply roll positioned within the container, cutting means in association with the container positioned at the juncture of said bottom and said front wall, and means positioned on the front wall of the container proximate to the cutting means for detachably adhering the sheet material thereto.

2. A dispensing carton in accordance with claim 1 wherein the sheet material is a polymeric film exhibiting cling characteristics and the adhering means on the container is a spot of a substance to which the polymeric film will cling.

3. A dispensing carton in accordance with claim 1 wherein l the sheet material is waxed paper and the adhering means on the container is a spot of a pressure sensitive adhesive.

4. A dispensing carton in accordance with claim 1 wherein the sheet material is aluminum foil and the adhering means on the container is a spot of a pressure sensitive adhesive.

, 5. A dispensing carton in accordance with claim 1 wherein the sheet material is coated freezer paper and the adhering means on the container is a spot of a pressure sensitive adhesrve.

6. A dispensing carton in accordance with claim 1 wherein the sheet material is polymeric film exhibiting no cling characteristics and the adhering means on the containeris a spot of a pressure sensitive adhesive.

7. A dispensing carton in accordance with claim 2 wherein the polymeric film is polyethylene film and the substance to which the polymeric film will cling is a vinyl lacquer.

8. A dispensing carton in accordance with claim 2 wherein the polymeric film is polyethylene film and the substance to which the polymeric film will cling is a vinyl resin exhibiting cling characteristics.

9. A dispensing carton in accordance with claim 2 wherein the polymeric film is polyethylene film and the substance to which the polymeric film will cling is a vinyl spot adhesively secured to the carton.

10. A dispensing carton in accordance with claim 2 wherein the polymeric film is a cling-modified polyethylene film and the substance to which the polymeric film will cling is a lacquer of a copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate. 

